


Love Through Letters

by random_chaotic_cat



Series: Discord Drabbles [4]
Category: Pocket Monsters: Sword & Shield | Pokemon Sword & Shield Versions
Genre: Fluff and Angst, Gen, Happy Ending, Hop is a sweetheart, I'm Bad At Summaries, I'm Bad At Tagging, Incest, Kinda, Leon's a bit messed up, Letters, M/M, Mentions of PTSD, Mentions of War, Self-Indulgent, Shh, Sibling Incest, look - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-23
Updated: 2020-06-23
Packaged: 2021-03-04 06:47:44
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Underage
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,377
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24879451
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/random_chaotic_cat/pseuds/random_chaotic_cat
Summary: In the Pokemon world, strong trainers get drafted into the army when they complete the gym challenge, at least in Galar. Raihan and Leon complete their Challenge at 12 and 10, and end up on the front lines together. It's hard, it's lonely, but Hop sends them letters to keep their spirits up.
Relationships: Dande | Leon/Hop, Dande | Leon/Hop/Kibana | Raihan, Dande | Leon/Kibana | Raihan, Hop/Kibana | Raihan
Series: Discord Drabbles [4]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1748284
Comments: 2
Kudos: 14





	Love Through Letters

Being a strong trainer comes with a lot of downsides, the biggest one being that the second you get your eighth gym badge, you get drafted into the army. Leon had gotten drafted the second he’d beaten the last gym. His mother had cried, but his little brother, little Hop, had given him a big smile and told him to ‘beat all the bad guys and come home soon!’ The war with Sinnoh had been going on for cades now, so Leon didn’t know when he’d be home. But he promised to write letters everyday. 

Leon meets a boy named Raihan on the train, and they become fast friends. Both strong trainers, young boys, and terrified of what was going to happen once the train stops. But, they go through training together and get closer, becoming almost inseparable. During these weeks, Leon sends letters to his mum and Hop, telling them about training and his new best friend. Hop sends Leon letters as best he can, mostly written in crayon, and little things like pictures of the Wooloo in the fields and people around town.

Raihan never sends or get letters, telling Leon all of his family is military, and he’s not very close to them anyway. It makes Leon sad, so he tells Hop about it, and Hop decides that he is going to send this dragon loving boy that his brother likes so much letters, because a friend of Lee’s shouldn’t be lonely! Hop even gets enough money form his allowance to send Mr. Dragon a wooloo plushie, since Lee says he’s never seen a Wooloo before.

Rai doesn't quite know how to respond, so he shows Leon the letter, asking if he had asked Hop to write to him too, but Leon is just as surprised as Rai, and refuses to take the Wooloo plushie when Rai tries to give it to him.

It takes a few more letters for Rai to actually write back, thanking Hop for being so kind, but he doesn't need to worry about him, Rai's got his pokemon, and Leon, and now his Woloo to keep him company. 

Hop doesnt stop writing to Rai, sending more pictures of Wooloos, and of him and his new friends Victor and Gloria, and a little girl named Marnie who came to live with them because her brother had to go fight too, so if he meets someone named Piers tell him that Marnie misses him very much!

Leon finds Raihan's predicament very funny, laughing while Rai carefully stores all of Hops pictures and letters in a little box, "Not getting a crush on my baby brother, are you?"

"Leon, he's eight." Rai would roll his eyes before pulling Leon close and giving him shy little kisses when no one was looking. Love has no place on the battlefield, they could get in a lot of trouble, but they were such a comfort to each other that they stopped caring.

Time goes on and they do end up meeting Piers, and relaying the message from Hop that Marnie misses him, but shes doing okay with Leon's mum and grandparents. Rai smiles as something in the thin boy seems to relax as he reads the letter Rai showed him, letting him keep the picture of Hop and Marnie cuddled up on the couch with WooLoo.

The war lasts a long time. Half the people in their regiment get sent home for injuries, and some are.. killed in action. Rai, Lee, and Piers are still okay, Rai teasing his friends about their long hair but helping them braid and take care of it. Hop sends him another plushie, a Garchomp, because 'Lee says it's your favorite and that your birthday was last week! So happy late birthday, Rai!'

And Rai feels very warm, hugging the plushie close while he carefully tucks the letter away. He sat down almost immediately to write a thank you letter, and Leon snickered softly, writing his own letter to Hop, teasing him about how much Hop much liked the dragon loving boy.

A few years pass. Leon is sixteen when gets hurt trying to push a fellow soldier away from a landmine. Nothing lethal, just a broken arm and a concussion, but enough to get him sent home. He doesnt get to say goodbye to his friends, but when he wakes up in the med truck, theres a well loved Garchomp plushie tucked next to him, and he cries as he realizes how much he loves the dragon loving idiot.

Hop and his mum are waiting at the station when he gets back to Wedgehurst, and Leon cries again and he embraces the boy he barely recognizes, and only from the pictures he would send every so often. He manages to hold himself together until he gets to his room, not at all recognizing the space that little 10 year old Leon claimed as his own, and he cries again, holding the Rai's plushie close. Hop doesn't ask why hes crying, just wiggles his way into Lee's arms and hugs him tightly, stroking his big brother's hair and gently nuzzling his cheek. 

When Hop and his friends have a little mock tournament in the backyard, Leon is a bit awed of how good of trainers they are. Not near where himself and Raihan had been, but a few more years and they would easily out match them. And Leon is grateful, so so grateful, that the draft age had gone up, so that these kids could be kids a while longer.

Four more years pass. The government apparently decided that Leon had served long enough, and don't call him back. Hop is nearing the age where he'll be drafted, and Leon is scared. Letters from his friends have been sparse, barely three or four a year. Hop and Leon sit together as they write to Raihan, though Hop's letters are far longer. Leon can never think of what to say, other than basic updates. They were friends, friends that screwed around yeah, but friends. Leon doesn't want to pen his feelings down, doesn't want to burden Rai with them. The farthest he'll go is to say that he misses the older boy- man, now. Raihan's 21st birthday was two months ago. They hadn't been able to send him a gift, since 'the possibilities of the enemy slipping in a bomb in disguise of a care package' had gone up. 

Hop had taken it better than Leon had, taking Leon's hand in his much smaller one and smiling. He told Leon that they would buy Raihan gifts and keep them safe until he came home. Leon had had to hold himself back from crying. He does that a lot. He doesn't know why, most the time. He's a 20 year old man that spent a fifth of his life in a war that he didn't really understand. His mum quietly asks if he'd like to seek out a therapist, and Leon feels like he's broken, numb when he nods and agrees. He was really messed up, wasn't he? He tells Rai about it, it's his longest letter in a long time, mostly because he doesnt think Rai will be able to respond anytime soon.

It's nearing Christmas that year when the King comes onto the news, announcing a new peace treaty with Sinnoh, and that all soldiers drafted as children will be sent home. Hop and Marnie cheer louder than Leon has ever heard them, before Hop wraps his arms around Leon in a tight hug.

"He's coming home, our dragon is coming home Lee!" Hop buries his face in Leon's neck and laughs as tears start streaming down his young face. Leon doesn't cry, shockingly, he just smiles softly as he holds his brother close, somewhere between shock and disbelief. It was over. The fighting was over and Rai was coming home... Would he come see them? Leon knew Raihan's father, brother, and sister were all in the military, and his mother had died in childbirth, so he didn't really have a reason to go to Wyndon, where his childhood home was, but did that mean he would come and see a war buddy and his kid brother? Leon didn't know. They'd never talked about it, neither in letters or on the front. They'd always laugh about getting things they missed, like ice cream and Oran Berry cobbler.

Soldiers started arriving home within the following week, and seeing the videos on social media makes Leon smile. They've gotten a letter from Piers saying he'd be there to get Marnie sometime around the 7th, but nothing from Raihan. Leon doesnt think they'll ever hear from him again.

Hop tries not to get discouraged, their dragon will come see them. Definitely. Hop has been writing to the man for most his life now, and he’s fallen hard for the man he's never met. He doesn't tell Lee but he thinks Lee might know. That's fine. They can love him together, Hop doesnt mind sharing, especially not with the other man he loves. He'd fallen for his big brother too, sometime after he'd came home. It was a bit odd, and Hop knew it, but that was okay. He loved giving Leon little kisses when mum wasn't home and snuggling up against him at night under the guise of keeping Leon from having nightmares. Which, not a complete lie. Leon was shy, and a little awkward in his affections. He had tried very hard to make Hop give up, but Hop was nothing if not persistent.

The week of Piers' arrival comes, and Hop can’t help the giant smile on his face. He's never seen Marnie so happy, so excited, aside from the day of the announcement and when Gloria asked her out. They plan a small welcome back party, just a barbecue, with Piers' favorite foods and a big stuffed shiny zigzagoon. Hop sees Marnie smile, an actual smile, for the first time in all his years of knowing her the morning of the 7th. It takes all other them to talk to out of camping out in front of the station all day.

They go together, after lunch, Hop, Leon, and Marnie. The twins wanted to come. But Leon said that seeing a bunch of people at once can be very overwhelming, so they decided to wait at Hop’s place with his mum. Piers had told Marnie he wanted to meet her friends, after all. The get to the station with some time to spare, and Marnie spends it pacing while Leon sits on a bench with Hop in his lap. It's a common thing to see, people assume Hop is like, an emotional service person, and that's fine. So long as Leon can hold him close whenever either of them want.

They see the train coming and stand, Hop holding Marnie's hand tightly while she holds her Morpeko close in her other arm. The train pulls to a stop, and even Leon is vibrating with energy.

The doors open, and people start trailing out of them. The three of them keep their eyes peeled for a dual colored ponytail, Marnie's bouncing in her spot. The small crowd starts to clear out, and they seem him. He's taller than Leon remembers, but so is Leon. Leon smiles and raises an arm to wave right as Marnie calls out Piers' name, running forward and launching herself at her big brother.

The force of Marnie glomping onto her brother almost knocked him over, since he remained a skinny twat all these years, but someone behind Piers managed to grab his shoulders and keep him steady while the siblings clung to each other.

Leon feels his heart skip as he hears the laugh of the ridiculously tall man that caught Piers. It.. He wouldn't.. Why is he here...?

"Careful there Marnie, ya might break'em if you do that." The man laughed, loud and warm and alive.

"Is... Is that...?" Hop's voice trembles as he clutches Leon's hand, staring at the dark skinned man behind Piers. His bright blue eyes alight with mirth, a wide grin showing off a singular fang. He nudges the siblings forward, out of the train, carrying what seems like enough bags for two people. He must have grabbed Piers’ when he'd gotten an armful of Marnie.

"Rai...?" Leon's voice is soft, scared, shakey in a way Hop has gotten to know means he's close to tears.

Hop squeezes Leon's hand tightly, watching the tall man with wide eyes. He opens his mouth to call out, when his arm is nearly torn off by Leon rushing forward, much like Marnie, and wrapping his arms around his friend tightly, loud sobs pouring from his mouth.

Raihan is shocked when he gets an armful of Leon, but not displease. He hugs his friend tightly, burying his face in his soft purple locks. Arceus, he'd missed this man, more than he could ever convey in a letter. He gently rubbed Leon's back, murmuring soothing words to calm him. "Shh, it's okay, I'm here, I'm not leaving again, I'm here Leon. I'm home."

It takes a few minutes but Leon eventually calms down, letting Raihan wipe his tears and taking a tissue from Marnie to blow his nose. He doesn't remember the last time he cried quite that hard, but now his head hurts and his eyes sting a bit. But it's okay, it's okay because Rai is home and Hop is here and- Wait, where did Hop go? Leon blinks and turns, frowning at the sight of Hop standing so far away.

Hop is happy, happy that Raihan is here and Piers is here and his friend and brother are both so happy. He's happy, but he feels very cold. He and Leon had never really talked about what it would mean if Rai came home, but seeing the way Leon clings to the taller man, the gentle way Raihan holds Hop's brother, calming him slowly with that sweet little smile, Hop cant help but think that he'll be left behind, his feelings for Leon nothing but a dirty little secret between them.

"Hoppip?" Leon sniffles, holding Raihan's hand tightly as he walks back to Hop, tilting his brother's face up, "Hop what's wrong?"

"Ah, nothing's wrong!" Hop smiles, bright and blinding, "Nice to finally meet you Raihan- Whoa!"

Raihan rolls his eyes and pulls Hop into a tight hug mid sentence, holding him tightly, "I didn't know it was possible to miss someone you never met before... But I've missed you a lot, Hop."

Hop blushed and slowly wraps his arms around Raihan, holding back from nuzzling into his chest. Hop hadn't thought he would be so warm... He smiles a bit, "I... I missed you too, Raihan..."

Leon smiles and presses a light kiss to Hop's head before addressing their dragon, "You're coming over... Right?"

"Ah, if you don't mind, I know I'm a bit unannounced..." Raihan chuckles, slowly releasing Hop from his hold. He meant when he said he'd missed the small trainer, as much as he'd always denied it when Leon made jokes, he really had fallen for Hop through his letters, as much as he had for Leon while they were on the front... He just didn't know how to bring it up in letters, and had ended up sending less over time.

"Of course we don't mind!" Hop smiles brightly, face a bit red as he moves away from Raihan, careful not to stand too close to Leon, "Ah.. But you'll probably have to share a room with Lee, since Piers will be taking the couch."

"That's fine, be like old times. You still sleep like a Snorlax?" Raihan laughs, reaching out to ruffle Leon's hair gently. Leon rolls his eyes and bats Rais hand away playfully.

"For the last time, that was Milo, not me!"

Raihan laughs and picks up the bags he'd dropped, a fond smile on his face, "Well, mind showing us the way?"

Piers and Marnie had finally stop crying, though they still clung to each other as Hop leads everyone back home, keeping a grip on the sleeve on Leon's shirt to make sure he dioesn't wander off.

The barbecue is fun, the teens having mock battles after they finish eating, the adults watching with amusement while cheering them on. Piers thanks everyone for looking after his sister, while Hop's mum rolls her eyes and thanks him and Rai both for keeping Leon safe, and for making it home in one piece. While Vic and Gloria struggle to take each other down, Hop helps his mum clean up, taking the leftovers inside. He’s glad for the work, a chance to be alone and think. He knows he needs to talk to Leon, and possibly Raihan, but he’s afraid of what they would say.

Yes, Raihan had said he'd missed Hop, but it didn't mean he meant it romantically, he could think of Hop as a friend, or brother even... Hop sighs as he put the food in the fridge, leaning on the counter and closing his eyes, "Why did I have to fall for both of them...?"

"...Both of who?" Raihan asks from the kitchen doorway, a brow raised curiously.

Hop jumps, whirling around to face the taller man with a bright red blush on his face, going even redder at the sight of Rai in a pair of Leon's basketball shorts and a tank top. He'd asked to borrow some clothes so that he could finally get out of uniform, and Leon had been more than happy to help.

"I- Um-! N-No one!" Hop squeaks, tearing his eyes away right as Leon came in from behind Raihan.

"What's going on?" Leon frowns, looking at them.

"Seems your baby brother has a crush, two of them actually." Raihan grins, a teasing glint showing up in his eyes.

"Two?" Leon blinks, looking at Hop with wide eyes, unable to ask what he wanted with Raihan around. Was Hop... Unsatisfied with him? Was he  _ that _ broken...?

Hop's blushed darkens, his eyes flicking between the two men, catching the look in his brother's eyes. He licks his lips as he thinks carefully of what to say, wanting to reassure Leon while keeping them secret from Rai, for now. 

"I... I do like two guys." Hop starts slowly, eyes still darting between the two before settling on Leon for a moment, "I'm actually dating one of them, and I love him a lot..." He smiles softly before looking at Rai, "Funnily enough, I know he likes the other guy too, we've just... Never talked about it..."

Raihan feels his heart sink at Hop's words, glancing at Leon for a moment to see what he thought, but freezing at the faint blush on his friend's cheeks.  _ What the hell...? _

"I see... Well, it's great you have people you like so much, Hoppip." Leon chuckles, wrapping his arm around Hop's shoulder and ruffling his hair. His touch is probably much gentler than most brother's would be in this situation, but Leon doesn’t care. If he was right, Raihan would get used to seeing them like this...

Hop giggles, lightly swatting Leon away before reaching into the freezer, "Either of you want a popsicle? Getting a bit hot out, yeah?"

"Oh, do we have any cherri flavor?" Leon smiles, looking over at Rai, knowing they were the dragon's favorite, but pausing when he saw the way Raihan was looking at them, "Rai? You okay-"

"I love you." Raihan blurtd, that odd look still on his face. It’s somewhere between confused and cautious, his brows furrowed and his blue eyes burning with a determined fire. "I have for a long time."

Hop freezes, slowly turning to face Raihan, his eyes a bit dark as his hopes die in his chest. Rai was talking to Leon, he wants Leon, he doesn't want Hop... So Hop smiles and snickers, patting Leon's shoulder as he makes his way to the back door, "Congrats Lee! I'm gonna head back out, give you guys some privacy~"

Leon's brain is stalling, his face on fire. He doesn’t have the capacity to try and stop Hop from leaving, his eyes a bit pained as the back door shut behind the teen. He doesn't know how to respond, turning back to Rai, "I.."

Raihan grimaces and face palms, curing himself for not being more specific with his words, "Both of you, I love bother of you! Dammit, I fucked up...." He sighs heavily and smiles sadly at Leon, "You don't have to answer, I can see that... Things are a lot more complicated than they used to be. Go be with Hop, we can talk later, okay?"

Leon chews his lip a moment before nodding and heading to the back door, grabbing Raihan's hand and giving it a small squeeze before going to hunt down his brother. He frowns as he sees that Hop had all but glued himself to the twins, laughing about something with that sad look still in his usually bright eyes. Leon sighs, knowing he'd have to wait until everyone went home to speak with Hop... The evening was going to drag now…

Hop keeps close to his friends until they had to leave, helping his mother clean up before dashing to his room. He doesn't want to give Leon a chance to corner him, he wants to be alone... Like he will be from now on. He flops onto his bed and curls into a tight ball, trying to keep himself from crying. Why had he gotten his hopes up? Why did he think that Raihan would be interested in a boy he'd never met? Stupid, stupid!

Lost in his own self pity, Hop doesn't notice his door opening, blue and gold eyes peeking in before the men entered and shut the door behind them, locking it with a faint click.

Hop stiffens and quickly dried his eyes before turning around, grimacing at the sight of Raihan and Leon standing awkwardly in front of the door.

"Um... Why are you guys here? Need an extra pillow or something?" Hop jokes, trying to lighten whatever odd mood surrounded the three of them.

"You didn't let me finish earlier, Hop." Raihan huffs, grabbing Leon's hand and tugging him over to Hops bed, sitting on the edge and smiling shyly at the boy, "I love both of you, more than anything I want to have you both with me, forever... Is that something you want too, Hop?"

Hop stares at them, tears springing to his eyes as he shakes his head and curls up into a tight little ball, sobbing into his knees. "Y-You don't- You don't have to-  _ pity _ me, I'm not some stupid little kid, I know when I'm not wanted and-"

"Hoppip,  _ please _ !" Leon quickly moves to pull Hop into a tight hug, ignoring his brother's feeble attempts to shove him away, "Please listen, he doesn't pity you, I don't pity you,  _ we love you _ , he wants what we want, please Hop, please believe me. Believe  _ us _ ."

"I swear Hop, I swear to you, to Leon, to the Legendaries and Arceus themself, that I love you both. I want you both." Raihan whispers, wrapping his arms around the brothers and pulling them close, "I've loved you since before I even met you, when some sweet little boy sent me letters to make sure I wasn't lonely. I've been wanting to meet you, to see you both, since the day Leon got sent home. I've been wanting to hold you like this just as long... Please, please let me stay with you, Hop..."

Hop listens, his sobs slowly quieting to small sniffles as he wiped his eyes. He looks up at Leon, then to Raihan, searching their faces for any trace of lies, of pity. 

Finding none, Hop smiles, shy and embarrassed as he reaches to tug on Raihan's shirt, "W-Will you kiss me then?"

Raihan blushed as he gently cups Hops cheek, leaning down to lightly brush his lips against Hop's. "You want a kiss, love?"

"Please." Hop whines pitifully and presses his lips to Raihan's, closing his eyes and Raihan kisses him softly, keeping it sweet and chaste before pulling away.

"I've wanted to do that for so fucking long..." Raihan chuckles, kissing Hop's forehead before giving Leon a peck on the lips, "And I want to do more, but I am so fucking tired."

"Ah, right. The train ride is long." Leon nods, a shy smile on his face as he held Hop close to his chest, nuzzling the boys hair.

Hop smiles and nods, giggling a little, "Can we stay together tonight? Just for sleeping."

"Yeah, sounds good to me." Raihan smiles and looks at Leon, "We should probably use your bed though, it's bigger."

"Ah, good point." Leon chuckles and stands, picking Hop up and ignoring his small squeak as he carries his little love across the hall to his room, checking to make sure their mum was still asleep before plopping Hop onto the bed.

"L-Lee! I could have walked!" Hop pouts a little, already burrowing under the covers. Raihan laughs and crawls over him, taking the spot by the wall and pulling Hop close.

"Not my fault you're so tiny." Leon snickers, closing the door before crawling into bed next to them and grabbing one of Raihan's hands, lacing their fingers together with a soft smile. "I love you Hop, Rai. More than anything else in this world."

"I love you both, I always will." Raihan kisses Hop’s head before bringing his and Leon's hands to his mouth and kissing Leon's fingers.

"I love you guys too." Hop giggles, giving each of them a small kiss on their noses. They'd have a lot to talk about in the morning, but for the moment they were comfortable, safe, and so very tired. 

They fall asleep, holding each other like the others might vanish if they let go, but happy in the knowledge that nothing, not war, not sorrow, not misunderstandings, would ever part them again. They were home, and they'd stay that way for the rest of their days.

**Author's Note:**

> Hey, hope you liked this! Finally cleaned it up enough to post lol  
> Follow me on Twitter if you want! @aclockwork_cat   
> Kudos and comments are much loved~


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